Lance Moore (shoulder) anticipates playing in the Saints' second preseason game. That Moore is nearly 100 percent healthy means he'll be a significant factor in the Saints passing game. Don't expect him to be their go-to guy in the red zone this year, but there are a lot of targets to go around in that system, and Drew Brees is comfortable with him.
Steve Slaton reported to training camp with more muscle on his body, upping his playing weight to 215. The Texans are concerned about Slaton's durability even though he got stronger as last season wore on and was most effective late in games. There's talk they'll pair him with a more bruising back to reduce his load, but let's see how much the Texans follow through with that when Slaton is gashing teams for long runs, catching passes out of the backfield and continuing his solid conversion rate at the goal line.
Fullback Greg Jones is the Jaguars' No. 2 back right now and could be asked to fill a Mike Alstott-type role. In other words, despite the departure of Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew's workload might not increase that dramatically this year. Moreover, the 6-2, 251-pound Jones might even see some goal-line carries. The difference between the situation here and in Houston is that Jack Del Rio has always had a timeshare, while Gary Kubiak last season did not.
No. 10 overall pick Michael Crabtree has threatened to sit out the entire year if the Niners don't pay him more than No. 7 pick Darrius Heyward-Bey. Granted, this could just be posturing (and it's coming from his cousin/adviser and not his agent who denies it), but this isn't going to get him into camp any sooner. Given that Josh Morgan is already ahead of him on the depth chart, Crabtree's chances for making a significant contribution early on diminish every day his deal is unresolved.
Mark Clayton had significant bleeding in his hamstring and will miss a few preseason games as a result. Between the injury and Derrick Mason coming out of retirement, Clayton's stock has taken a major hit this week. He still retains his upside if he's 100 percent by the start of the season (and Joe Flacco takes a step forward), but his floor is now much lower.